Malbec is on fire in the US right now. When winemakers found that the Malbec vine thrived in the high elevation and dry conditions of the eastern slopes of the Andes mountains, Argentina began producing and exporting boatloads of super high quality, nicely drinking, and low priced wine. But due to this excitement, consumers lost track of the fact that the grape originated in the southwest of France and has historically been grown in Bordeaux...

Last year, WFFT established a Somm Support Program by granting 20 Austin wine professionals with scholarships for education, certification and travel expenses. In February, Chris Kelly and Rania Zayyat of Vintel, an Austin-based wine consulting and branding business, used their travel scholarship to visit the Loire Valley, where they attended four large wine fairs, including La Dive Bouteille, the largest "natural wine" fair in the world....